For, besides the colossal weight, size is an issue too: such a turbine is estimated to be at least 32 feet high long, 14 feet high and 13 feet wide. This entails an upgrade that involves shearing the rock faces on sections along the highway and strengthening bridges, reinforcing culverts along NH 3 which goes from Mumbai to Agra.

When contacted, an NHAI spokesman said: “We are studying the NTPC proposal of cutting rocks and widening the road by about 1 m. However, after we give the technical clearance, the state government has to give its approval.”

An added significance is that such a turbine is being used for the first time in the country. For, the Sipat I project is the first power plant to use new supercritical technology (where each unit size is either 660 MW or above) as against traditional 500 MW units. These 660 MW units deliver cheaper power on account of economies of scale.

The turbine for a 500 MW unit is lighter by as much as 60 tonnes and can be transported by rail as well.

The 660 MW turbine unit, however, has to be transported on specialized trailers with as many as 200-250 wheels over a distance of 1250 km.

This raises questions over the projects in the pipeline — including the ultra mega power projects that will use the same super-critical technology. Some of these plants will use bigger units of 800 MW each. These weigh at least 100 tonnes more than a 660 MW unit.

... contd.